Relationship between maternal microecosystem imbalance during pregnancy and preterm birth

Maternal microecology during pregnancy is considered to be critical to maternal and infant health, and reports on influences of maternal microbial community imbalance on preterm birth have increased in recent years. Preterm birth is the main cause of illness and death of infants. It is one of the most important adverse events that seriously affects maternal and fetal health and is the main cause of increased maternal perinatal morbidity and mortality in both developed and developing countries. The author intends to elaborate on the latest research progresses of relationship between maternal microecosystem imbalance during pregnancy and preterm birth, and focus on the relationships among intestinal, placental and vaginal microecology and preterm birth, so as to provide reference for clinical prevention of preterm birth. Key words: Gastrointestinal tract; Colony count, microbial; RNA, ribosomal, 16S; Genetic testing; Placental microecology; Colony; Premature birth; Pregnant women